Research in the Wang group focuses on addressing the long-standing challenges in synthetic chemistry by leveraging transition metal catalysis. Our group’s goal is to advance the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of chemical synthesis by the development of novel reaction processes, catalysts and reagents. We are practically interested in efficiently constructing functionally diverse small-molecule products and functional materials.
1. Chiral Ligand Development:
The development of privileged chiral architectures which are versatile for various chiral ligands or organocatalysts preparation with superior performance in a variety of organic transformations has significant pushed forward the advancement of asymmetric catalysis. However, only a few scaffolds could be seen as privileged chiral backbone, including BINOL-, SPINOL-, TADDOL-based architectures. In the Wang lab, our project mainly aims at the design of the novel heteroatom (Si, Ge etc.)-centered spirocyclic ligand skeletons, developing new asymmetric methods for construction of those heteroatom-centered spirocyclic skeletons, preparation of various types of heteroatom-centered spirocycle-based ligands and catalysts, and further studying their structure-function relationships in organic synthesis.
2. Main Group Chemistry:
As main group elements have play important roles in functional materials and pharmaceuticals, to further dig the potentials of main group element-containing reagents and functional molecules in synthetic chemistry is charming. The research in the Wang group is interested in developing main group elements (Si, Ge, S et al.)-mediated new reactions, methodologies for the synthesis of main group elements-involved functional molecules, and their applications in materials and synthetic chemistry.
3. Reaction Discovery:
To access the functionally diverse molecules from commercially chemical feedstocks is one of the fundamental goals in modern chemical synthesis. By leveraging transition metal catalysis, reaction discovery in the Wang lab aims at the development of fundamental carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond formation reactions in high efficiency with ideal chemo-, regio-, and stereo-selectivities.